Removable handle



Dec. 23, 1969 Filed Dec. 15, 1967 w. J. FLETCHER REMOVABLE HANDLE 2 Sheets Sheet 1 FIG 3 WILLARD J. FLETCHER, lNVENTOR AGENT Dec. 23, 1969 w. J. FLETCHER 3,484,894

REMOVABLE HANDLE Filed Dec. 15, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 28B 27B k WILLARD J. FLETCH iNVEN R M QW AGENT United States Patent US. Cl. 16-114 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A removable handle for temporary attachment to a body, the handle and body respectively having one or more mutually engaging studs and recesses, and at least one manually movable locking pin to selectively prevent removal of a stud sideward out of an engaged recess.

It is common to place handles, usually called D-handles, on various drawers, modules, equipment packages, etc., that fit into instrument panels, consoles and the like. The reason is simple; it is to facilitate installation and removal of, for example, a given module for repair or replacement, and to assure safe handling of the module when it is not installed. Accordingly, a typical handle must be sturdy, and it should have a gripping portion large enough to be grasped firmly and comfortably with ones hands, and it must usually stand off from the face of the panel for a distance which is adequate to permit a persons fingers to grasp the gripping portion. These physical requirements for handles are well known, but they are often not accorded the emphasis they are entitled to, because a compromise is usually necessary between these requirements and a further requirement, namely, that the face of the module be relatively unobstructed when it is installed. Thus, a handle which has optimum characteristics as an aid in handling a module at the same time has at least some deleterious properties in its static state on the installed item. For example, a comfortably large handle (such as a person would expect to find on a heavy suitcase or trunk) would obviously cast a correspondingly large shadow on the face of equipment to which it is attached, which shadow would interfere with reading dialindicating instruments, etc. Similarly, a handle as large as might be desirable--based on grasping considerationscould easily obstruct the view of a person sitting to the side of an instrument console, and could interfere with an attempt to reach a switch from a position other than directly in front of said switch. Hence, handles which form a permanent part of instrument panels have historically been kept slim, short and as unobstructive as possible, while gripping convenience has been de-emphasized. It will be recognized, however, that even small handles still cast their shadows, and they still constitute potential obstructions when a person is reaching for control knobs, etc., located near the handles.

Accordingly, it is a major object of this invention to provide a novel handle for instrument panels and the like.

Another object is to provide a handle which is readily removable from a structure when it is not needed for carrying purposes.

A further object is to make possible instrument panels, electronic cabinets, etc., which are unobstructed by protruding handles.

Yet another object is to promote safety in the handling of electronic apparatus by providing optimally proportioned handles without limitations based on their weight or bulk.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the specification and claims and from the accompanying drawing illustrative of the invention.

3,484,894 Patented Dec. 23, 1969 ICC In the drawing,

FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectioned side view of a handle located adjacent a body to which it is to be attached;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the plane IIII of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional side view of a handle which is secured to the adjacent body;

FIGURE 4 is an alternate embodiment of a handle in which the relative positions of the locking recess and studs are reversed as compared with FIG. 1;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of a handle made in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the plane VI-VI of FIG. 5;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the handle shown adjacent the body to which it is to be attached; and

FIGURES 8 and 9 are cross-sectional views of exemplary recesses which are characterized by permitting engagement in only one direction.

With initial reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a handle 20 which constitutes a first body is shown adjacent a second body 21 which may be any structure on which a handle is, at certain times, desirable for handling purposes. For example, the body 21 may be a drawer which is insertable into an instrument panel, console, etc., and which is removable therefrom at certain times based on necessity or convenience. Extending from a face 22 of the second body 21 in the same general direction are two, spaced studs 23, each of which has a head 24 and a shank 25. For economy, the stud 23 may be a common roundheaded bolt which is modified as necessary but which still has a shank having a reduced diameter or breadth relative to the head 24.

In the other of the two bodies, i.e., the handle 20 in this instance, a pair of recesses 26, 27 are provided in a face intended to be juxtaposed with the first face 22. The recesses 26, 27 are spaced apart by the same distance that the studs 23 are spaced apart so as to permit simultaneous engagement of the two studs with respective recesses. The recesses 26, 27 further have suitable sizes and configurations to match respective studs 23, with more description of the various possible configurations being provided at a subsequent point herein. In each of the recesses 26, 27, a holding region is provided which is surrounded by side Walls all around except for an opening for a stud, i.e., by three closed sides and one open side. Extending from the closed sides of typical recess 26 is a continuous lip 28 which partially covers the recess, leaving an opening 29 slightly larger than the shank 25 but smaller than a head 24, whereby an engaged stud secures the handle 20 to the body 21 by preventing movement of the handle perpendicular to the face 22. As will later be made clear, the lip 28 could extend from only one or two of the side walls, rather than all three of such walls, and still provide a satisfactory locking action. Because of strength considerations, however, it is preferable to have the lip 28 extend as far as possible around the holding region. The recess side opening is sufficient in size to permit sideward movement of a stud into and out of the holding region.

A manually movable pin 30 is mounted in a bore 31 adjacent the recess 26, the pin being appropriately sized and being positioned so as to blockwhen desired-the movement of a stud 23 through the recess open side. The pin 30 in FIG. 1 is shown in a raised position such that an associated spring 32 is compressed. In this raised position, it will be apparent that the handle 20 could be easily moved (to the rgiht) with respect to the studs 23 so as to engage the studs in respective recesses 26, 27. Such engagement is represented in FIG. 3, wherein the pin 30 has been allowed to move downward in response to the biasing action of the spring 32. By selectively moving the pin 30, removal of a stud 23 sideward out of a respective recess holding region is either permitted or prevented. To this end, a manually positionable means is provided to facilitate movement of the pin 30, such a means in FIG. 1 being shown as a pin 33 which is rigidly connected to the locking pin 30 and Which extends through a slot 34 to the exterior of the handle 20. A motion transferring member such as the thumb plate 35 is attached to the pin 33,

and is positioned on the handle 20 so as to be operable by a thumb on one hand while the fingers of the same hand are conveniently holding the gripping portion 36. The thum'b plate 35 is easily guided, such that it does not rotate to a position where it might be bent or broken, through provision of a groove or rail (not shown) on the handle stand-off portion 37.

The spring-biased pin 30 has an inclined surface 38 which faces toward the recess open side, i.e., away from the recess, and further has a relatively flat surface 39 facing toward the recess interior. As will be more fully explained later, the spring 32 has a low spring constant such that pressing a stud 23 against the pin inclined surface 38 with moderate engaging force causes the pin 30 to be pushed upward in a camming actiin until it passes over a stud head 24.

While the handle 20 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 provides the recesses and the second body 21 has the studs 23, there is no reason why this arrangement could not be reversed, if, for example, manufacturing considerations so dictated. As shown in FIG. 4, a handle 20A having studs 23A extending therefrom is located in the approximate position it would have just prior to engagement with a body 21A having recesses 26A, 27A, A locking pin 30A having an inclined surface 38A and a relatively flat surface 39A is biased by a spring 32A to a position which would lock a stud 23A in the recess 26A.

Furthermore, there are other handle configurations that are possible with this technique for connecting one body to another. For example, the T-shaped handle 20B shown in FIG. has a single stand-off member 37B which extends from the center of the gripping portion 36B. In such an embodiment, if only a single round stud engages the handle, it would likely rotate about the stud when mounted thereon, unless some restraining means is provided. Accordingly, if it is desired to preclude rotation, a suitable stud would be provided having, for example, at least one fiat side. The recess 27B would have a similar number of flat sides, two of which are shown in FIG. 6. The stud to match such a recess would then likely have a cross-section in the shape of a trapezoid. As before, a lip 28B is provided to permit movement of the handle B parallel to but not away from the engaged structure. A pin 33B extends through a slot 34B where it can be engaged by two fingers of one hand without letting go of the handle gripping portion 36B.

Thus far, the face of the body to which the handle is to be attached has only been illustrated as a planar face. This method of attaching removable handles, however, should not be restricted to only flat objects; for cylinders, spheres, etc., could be similarly provided with handles, as suggested by FIG. 7. Furthermore, the studs 23C need not be permanently attached to the body to be moved. That is, an exemplary strap 40 could be provided with the studs 23C, and then the strap could be placed (in either a permanent or a temporary fashion) about whatever object is to be moved. If the object were a pressure vessel or the like, the studs 23C would not need to extend into or through a wall so as to weaken the vessel. Too, such a handle could be advantageously removed after placement of a vessel in, for example, an aircraft, where saving weight is often more important than saving space. As further indicated by FIG. 7, the gripping portion 36C of the handle 200 does not necessarily have an adjacent finger opening such as is shown in FIG. 1.

To utilize any of the handles described herein, it is not necessary that the object which is to be lifted or carried be greatly modified. In fact, it is an advantage of this invention that equipment which is already installed and in use and which has fixed handles can be relatively easily converted to a removable-handle configuration. To use a handle 20 like that shown in FIG. 1, modification is effected by removing the fixed handles by sawing them off, etc., and drilling and tapping two holes which are spaced apart by the same distance as the handle recesses 26, 27. Two studs 23 are then threadably installed in the two holes, and the object is ready to receive a handle.

Next, a handle 20 is grasped in a conventional manner, with the fingers wrapped around the gripping portion 36. The handle is then moved to a position in line with the two studs 23, with the recess openings 29 being adjacent the studs. If the lockingpin 30 has an inclined surface 38, the handle 20 may be merely pushed in a straight line until it passes over and envelops the two studs 23. During engagement in this manner, after the pin inclined surface 38 makes initial contact with a respective stud 23 and the handle is moved further sidewardly, the pin 30 will be forced to rise in what may be described as a camming action over the stud head 24. This action compresses the spring 32 and introduces a force tending to urge the pin 30 downwardly; when the handle 20 has been moved a suificient distance, the pin will clear the stud head 24 and will be free to return to its original position in response to the urging of the spring.

If the locking pin 30 does not have an inclined surface, such as surface 38, or if a camming surface is present but it seems desirable not to use it for some reason, the pin 30 is moved to an unlocked position by raising thumb plate 35. This can readily be accomplished using only one digit of a persons hand while other digits of the same hand are holding the gripping portion 36. Movement of thumb plate 35 results in movement of pin 33 and consequently movement of locking pin 30. Sufficient movement will obviously cause the pin 30 to be Withdrawn into the stand-off portion until the recess opening 29 is unobstructed, and the handle 20 can then be moved sidewardly over the studs 23 until the recesses 26, 27 completely envelop them.

When the locking pin 30 has returned to its original position, the stud 23 engaged by recess 26 is restrained within the recess holding region by the closed walls of the recess 26 and the straight surface 39 of the pin 30. Since the exit path for the stud 23 in recess 26 is obstructed by the pin 30, the rigid handle 20 cannot move and there is no need to similarly block the exit path of the stud in recess 27. If redundancy is desired, however, a similar locking pin 30 can be associated with the recess 27 so that each stud 23 is independently locked in its respective recess.

It will be noted that when the handle 20 is moved into engagement with the studs 23 in an upward direction with respect to, for example, a drawer to be lifted, the bearing load is carried entirely by the lip 28 adjacent the holding region; that is, no load is imposed on or carried by the locking pin 30 during lifting. In this mode, the locking pin 30 serves only to maintain the handle 20 on the drawer when it is at rest. Since lifting loads are carried by the lip 28, and the lip is a permanent and integral part of the handle, the shear loads that the handle can accommodate are relatively high, while the manufacturing costs are relatively low.

While most persons will probably utilize the handle in the manner in which it is intended to be used, there may be an occasional person who would place the handle on, for example, a drawer with the handle upside down. In this mode the lifting load would not be carried by the lips 28 as described above, but rather by the pin 30. Although a pin 30 can be made of material which is strong enough to take high stresses, such a high-strength pin would naturally cost more than a pin of only moderate strength. Hence, it may be desirable to make the studs 23 and the mating recesses 26, 27 unsymmetrical so that the handle can be installed in only one direction, whereby the lifting loads are always carried by lips 28. Exemplary non-symmetrical recesses are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9; such recesses could of course be either on the handle or the second body. If the locking pins 30 have to only block movement and not carry loads, they can be made weaker and hence smaller or of cheaper material without compromising their efficiency.

While commenting on strength requirements of the pin 30, it should be noted that an advantageous feature of this invention is that almost all of its operativeness in lifting is not dependent on the locking pin 30. Thus, if a pin 30 were somehow to fail while a drawer was being placed into position in a console, etc., the drawer would not drop, nor would the person carrying it lose control; for, the load-carrying lip 28 is not dependent On the locking pin for its utility. In fact, a handle having a broken or otherwise inoperative locking pin 30 can be used indefinitely to move drawers, etc., as long as the applied loads have a vertical component. The only liability with a broken pin 30 is that a handle having a vertical orientation will likely fall away from a drawer when a persons grip on the handle is released. A medium or snug fit between a stud and the corresponding recess can, of course, retard relative motion between the two even with a broken The manner of attaching and removing the handles shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 is of course similar to that described with reference to FIG. 1. One exception may be that it is more convenient to use two fingers to raise the locking pin 308 in FIG. 5; but as before, a persons grip on the handle need not be completely released in order to unlock the handle, and unlocking can be accomplished with only one hand.

In all embodiments of these novel handles, the gripping portions may be made as heavy and as bulky as seems desirable from a gripping point of view, without concern for any shadows that might be cast or any line of sight that might be blocked, etc. Since the handles can be removed when they have served their purpose, they do not compromise safety or any aesthetic qualities the mounting structure may have in its static position. Furthermore, a single handle may be employed to sequentially move a large quantity of objects such as drawers, etc., such that fewer handles need be purchased in order to serve a given number of drawers.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein and shown in the accompanying drawing, it will be evident that various further modifications are possible in the arrangement and construction of its components without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for connecting one body to another, with one of said bodies constituting a removable handle for the other of said bodies, comprising:

.a pair of spaced studs extending in the same general direction from a first one of said bodies, each of said studs having a head and a shank, said shank having a reduced breadth relative to the head;

a pair of recesses in a face of the second one of said bodies, said recesses being spaced apart and each having a suitable size and configuration to allow engagement by a respective stud, each of said recesses having a holding region bounded by a lip which extends from at least one side wall of the recess to provide a top opening slightly larger than the shank but smaller than the head, and said holding region having a side opening sufficient in size to permit sideward movement of a stud into said holding region; and

a manually movable pin associated with at least one recess for selectively preventing removal of a stud sideward out of a respective recess holding region, said pin being spring-biased to a position for restraining a stud head within said recess holding region, and said pin having an inclined surface oriented to cause the pin to rise in a camming action over the stud head upon the pin being pressed against the stud during engagement of the handle with the other of said bodies.

2. A removable handle for attachment to a structure having a face with at least one protruding stud, the stud having a head and having a shank of smaller breadth than the head, comprising:

a gripping portion;

at least one stand-off member extending from the gripping portion, witht each stand-01f member having a recess with three closed sides :and one open side, and further having a lip extending from at least one of the closed sides to partially cover the recess such that a top opening larger than the stud shank but smaller than the stud head is created, and the recess open side being large enough to permit sideward movement of an associated stud head into the recess upon engaging movement of the handle with respect to the structure face; and

means for selectively locking the handle to the structure face, said means including a spring-biased pin for selectively blocking the movement of a stud through the recess open side.

3. The handle claimed in claim 2 wherein the stud head has a non-symmetrical configuration and the recess has a matching non-symmetrical cross-section such that the handle can be engaged with the structure by moving the handle with respect to the structure in only one direction.

4. The handle as claimed in claim 2 wherein the springbiased pin has an inclined surface facing away from the recess and a flat surface facing toward the recess, with the spring being compressible to permit the pin to be pushed upward and to ride over a stud upon the stud being pressed against the pin inclined surface.

5. The handle as claimed in claim 2 wherein the springbiased pin has a normal position effectively closing the recess open side, and a second position wherein the recess open side is unobstructed, and the handle further having a manually positionable means for moving the pin from said normal position to said second position.

6. The handle as claimed in claim 5 wherein the manually positionable means for moving the pin includes a motion transferring member suitably arranged to be operable by at least one digit of a persons hande while other digits of the same hand are holding the handle gripping portion.

7. The handle as claimed in claim 2 wherein the recess open side is oriented such that loads normally imposed on said handle during use thereof in moving said structure are carried by said lip, such that the spring-biased pin experiences no loading due to the weight of the attached structure.

8. The handle as claimed in claim 2 wherein a single stand-off member extends from the center of the gripping portion to form a substantially T-shaped handle, with the stud head having at least one flat side and the recess having a similar flat side adapted to be juxtaposed with the head flat side so as to preclude rotation of the handle with respect to the stud when the handle is engaged with the stud.

9. A removable handle for attachment to a structure, the structure having a face with two spaced studs protruding therefrom, each of the studs having a head and a shank of smaller breadth than the head, comprising:

an elongated gripping portion having first and second ends;

a stand-off member extending from each of the two gripping portion ends, with each stand-01f member having a recess with three closed sides and one open side, the recesses being spaced and oriented so as to simultaneously engage the studs upon movement of the handle in a first direction, and each of the recesses manually moving the pin from a first position wherein a recess open side is closed to a second position wherein the recess open side is free of obstruction, with the thumb plate being so arranged as to be movable by a persons thumb without removal of the sideward movement of an associated stud hand into the recess;

means for selectively locking the handle to the structure face, said means including a spring-biased pin for selectively blocking movement of a stud out of the 10 persons fingers from the handle gripping portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS open side of at least one of said recesses, and said pin 903797 11/1908 Simpson 16*114 having an inclined surface such that moving the 1128573 2/1915 Beck et 19O 58'1 1,333,618 3/1920 Hegerhorst 19058.1

handle in the first direction causes an abutting stud head to bear against the inclined surface for pushing the pin upward and over the respective stud; and BOBBY Pnmary Exammer a thumb plate connected to the spring-biased pin for D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner 

